Kerry vs Chalk Paint

I've got to say it, I was nearly defeated! To elaborate on the chairs posted in my vlog a little bit more, I posted this picture on Instagram last weekend, (the seat reupholstered, but not yet back on the legs) and asked people what I should do about the state of the wood. These chairs were by the side of the road with a table for free, they're filthy and covered in paint, I think they were part of a kids craft station before they were thrown out and we picked them up.I kind of like the wood colour, but the damage on them was distracting to me and I felt like I had to fix it. My table is white, the scratches went too deep to be repaired and several people said to paint it with chalk paint so I wouldn't have to strip off the varnish. It sounded perfect and easy! So I went out and bought a can (the brush applied type- I wanted spray but it was out of stock) of Rustoleum Chalked in Antique White. That was after already going to the hardware store twice to try different wood restore methods that didn't work.I applied three coats. Looks fine right?Wrong. This paint was a total pain in the arse. Close up you can see my brush strokes and there's globby bits and it was awful to apply because it dried SO fast.So after work on Monday, I put a podcast on and sanded the brush strokes down as much as possible without it feeling like too much effort- those slatty bits on the back are not easy I can tell you. Then I added a tablespoon or so of water to the paint can to thin it out and mixed it in well. I think it looks better?I could have left the sanding where it shows a bit of the darker colour coming through and call it distressed, but I wanted a clean look. That would have been easier! Cleaning the brushes is thankfully very easy, just water and washing up liquid cleans them up, which is also good news for my arms because they usually receive some paint splatters.I wanted to wax them to finish them, using clear Minwax Finishing Wax, but of course Home Depot says 7 in stock online, but when I got there, zero. So I went with the Chalked matte varnish. This was because they're dusty to the touch and I would hate for it to rub off on clothing. It may just be temporary while it cures properly, but I wanted to be certain. I applied that and it took a bit of the paint off. It also added a slight sheen which wasn't quite what I was going for. Never mind.I did one more, so just one chairs to go. Just got 9 billion staples to remove first. A tutorial on how I reupholstered these is coming shortly.